Security bindings for skis

ABSTRACT

A security device for maintaining a ski to the shoe of a skier after the main safety binding has opened comprises a lash secured in a cavity of a block. The block is attached to the ski and the lash is attached to the shoe of the skier. At least a portion of the lash in the cavity is folded. At least a portion of a member enters between the fold to prevent the lash from leaving the cavity when a tensile stress is applied to the lash.

O United States Patent [1 1 u 11 3,887,206 Salomon June 3, 1975 [54]SECURITY BINDINGS FOR SKIS 3,490,782 1/1970 Hatlapa 280/1135 N mr: orgesP erre Joseph Salomon, 3,778,072 12/1973 Salomon 280/1 l.35 N

Annecy, France [73] Assignee: S.A. Francois Salomon & Fils, ry Ex min -Dvid Schonberg France Assistant ExaminerMilton L. Smith Attorney, Agent,or Firm-Robert E. Burns; [22] 1973 Emmanuel J. Lobato; Bruce L. Adams[2]] Appl. No.: 404,373

Related US. Application Data [62] Division of Ser. No. 95,143, Dec. 4.1970, Pat. No. [57] ABSTRACT A security device for maintaining a ski tothe shoe of Fore'gn Apphcamm Pnomy Dam a skier after the main safetybinding has opened com- Dec. 5, i969 France 69.42070 ri e h secured in acavity of a block. The block is attached to the ski and the lash isattached to the US. Cl u 280/1135 N; 24/265 R shoe of the skier. Atleast a portion of the lash in the [51] Int. Cl. A636 9/00 avity ifolded, At least a portion of a member enters [58] Field of Search 2 /1between the fold to prevent the lash from leaving the 24/265 265 265 209cavity when a tensile stress is applied to the lash [56] Reerences Cited2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,019,504 2/1962Castasgliuolo 24/265 EE SECURITY BINDINGS FOR SKIS This application is adivision of application Ser. No. 95.143 filed Decv 4. I970 and now US.Pat. No. 3.778,()72 issued Dec. ll, 1973.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to securitybindings for skis.

The use of safety bindings which open when undue stresses are applied tothe ski for protecting the skier against injuries caused by suchstresses. necessitates the setting of security lashes connecting the skito the shoe of the skier in order to prevent the ski being lost downhillwhen the safety bindings open.

It is known to connect the lashes to the safety bindings, thus avoidingthe piercing of further holes in the ski.

Many devices are known which provide such a connection.

One of these known devices consists of a ring or a brickle fixed in anyregion of the binding or its support plate. the ring being fixed orarticulated, the lash being then tightened in the ring by a knot or by abuckle formed by the passing of the lash through a longitudinal slot inthat lash.

Another known device consists of a fixed ring integral with the binding,the lash being tightened to that ring by a buckle provided at oneextremity of the lash by a fold of that extremity and maintained by asealed collar.

Such devices necessitate a special metallic ring piece tightened to thebinding which is unesthetic and costly and which may be prejudicial tothe good mechanical functioning of the lash.

AIMS OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is theprovision of a device for securing a ski t the shoe of a wearer which issimple to construct and assemble and is relatively foolproof.

According to the present invention. a device for securing a ski to ashoe of a wearer to prevent the ski from being lost comprises a blockadapted to be connected to the ski. said block being formed with acavity, a lash for connecting the block to the shoe of the wearer. apart of which lash is folded within the cavity to form a loop, and amember, a portion at least of which member extends into the cavity andbetween the folds of the loop of the lash to maintain the lash in thecavity when a tension is applied to the lash by the attempted separationof the ski from the shoe.

Preferably. the cavity is a through cavity and the member has a boss anda tongue extending from the boss. the member being arranged between thefolds of the loop of the lash, the boss wedging the folds of the lashagainst the opposite sides of the cavity when a tension is applied tothe lash.

Alternatively. the member is a pin. a portion of the shank of which pinextends between the folds of the loop of the lash.

The pin may have a portion. which portion is a force fit in an aperturein the block,

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example,reference being made to the Figures of the accompanying schematicdrawings, in which:

FIG. I is a perspective view of a one embodiment of the device accordingto the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the embodiment shown on FIG. I aftersetting of the lash;

FIG. 3 is a cross-section on the line Ill-Ill of FIG. 2:

FIG. 4 is a cross-section on the line IV-IV of FIG. 5 of a secondembodiment of the device according to the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-section on the line V\/ of FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS.

As shown in FIGS. 1. 2 and 3, a lashing or lash I, preferably ofrectangular cross-section. and folded on itself to define a loop. passesthrough a cavity 4 provided in a block or body portion 2 which block isadapted to be connected to a ski (not shown). The cavity 4 comprises apair of opposed spaced-apart major surfaces defining therebetween aslot, which has an opening 3 visible on the upper surface of the block 2and which extends through the block 2 to the forward surface of theblock 2 to an opening 5. The cavity 4 is limited adjacent the opening 5in part by lateral edges 9 and 10. The loop formed by the lash I, afterpassing the lash 1 through the cavity 4, is easily accessible. Lockingmeans comprising a locking member 6 having a boss section 7 and a tongueor planar section, 8 extending from the boss 7 is set inside the loopformed by the lash I to lock the lash to the block 2. When tension isapplied to the free ends of the lash I, the fold with the locking member6 therebetween enters the cavity 4 via opening 5 and is clamped orlocked in this position. The boss 7, increased by the two thicknesses ofthe lash forming the loop, causes a wedging effect of the loop in thecavity 4. Further. the tongue 8 cooperates with its two faces with thewalls of the cavity to guide the lash I.

The length of tongue 8 is such that when no effort is exerted on thelash l, the tongue 8 is still prevented from escaping from the loopoutside the cavity 4 towards the lower part of the binding.

The member 6 does not suffer high mechanical stresses and can thereforebe made of plastic material for example, polyamide which is resistant toclimatic conditions. Of course it is not necessary that the two ends ofthe lash l emerging from the opening 3 should be connected to anothermember or submitted to a stress although the two extremities of the lashare used to make a buckle round the shoe of the wearer.

In a different embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the block 2 is formedwith a cavity having an opening 20 in the upper surface of the block, aslot portion 16 having parallel walls and a circular bottom portion 17.A member in the form of a removable pin I8 extends into the bottomportion 17 to define an annular chamber. The portion 16 has a thicknessslightly greater than twice the thickness ofa lash l. The portion I7communicates with an aperture having opposite openings 21, 22 in theblock 2.

The lash I is folded on itself and introduced into the portion I6 viaopening 20. When the folded lash I enters the portion I7 the twoextremities of the lash l diverge because of the elasticity of saidlash, this diver gence being increased when the extremity of the foldreaches the bottom of cavity portion 17.

The pin 18 is then introduced through the side opening 21 a part ofwhich enters the internal part of the fold oflash 1. It is evident thatwhen a tension is applied to lash l, the fold will remain in the portion17 by the anchoring effect caused by pin 18 and by the wedging effectcaused by pin 18 in the portion l6.

In order to avoid any possible release of pin [8 from portion 17, forexample, when lash l is not submitted to tension and when the whole ofthe device is submitted to various movements, the pin 18 is clamped inthe portion 17, for example by force fitting the pin 18 in the opening21 or by a locking screw (not shown). it should be noted that theanchoring action of pin 18 in the portion 17 does not relate to thewedging effect of lash l in portion 16 by pin 18. The anchoring andwedging functions relate to a single piece for simplicity and economicreasons.

in a preferred embodiment, the pin 18 is cylindrical and has a taperedend facilitating the introduction of the pin 18 in the fold. The pin 18has two portions of different diameter, one cooperating with the fold ofthe lash l, and the other a force fit in the block 2. In thisembodiment, cavity 17 is also ofa cylindrical shape and the pin 18, forexample of plastic material, is introduced by force through the opening21 in to the portion 17.

Of course, a device can be foreseen in which the pin 18 and the cavityportion 17 are not cylindric but, for example, prismatic.

The pin 18 can be driven out of the cavity portion 17 by means of a toolreaching the pin 18 through the aperture 22.

What is claimed is:

l. A device for connecting a ski to a skier comprising: a body portionconnectable to a ski during use of the device and having means thereindefining a bore having a stepped configuration with a smallercross-sectional portion and a larger cross-sectional portion, and a slotwhich opens at one end into said bore and at the other end at thesurface of said body portion; a lashing connectable to a skier duringuse of the device and having a folded portion defining a loop receivedwithin said bore and extending outwardly therefrom through said slot;and an elongated locking member inserted into the interior of said loopcontinuously wedging said loop against the bore surface to effectlocking of said lashing to said body portion irrespective of whethersaid lashing is in a tensioned or slackened condition, said lockingmember comprising a pin having a shank portion extending through theinterior of said loop and into said smaller cross-sectional portion, anda head portion force fitted into said larger cross-sectional portion tothereby maintain said lashing locked to said body portion.

2. A device for securing a ski to a shoe of a wearer to prevent the skifrom being lost comprising: a block connectable during use of the deviceto the ski and having means therein defining a cavity, a lash forconnecting said block to the shoe of a wearer and having a part foldedwithin said cavity to form a loop, and a locking pin having a firstportion extending into the cavity and between the fold of the loop ofthe lash to maintain said part of said lash in the cavity when a tensionis applied to the lash and having a second portion force fitted into anaperture in said block to maintain said first portion of said lockingpin and said loop of said lash in said cavity when no tension is appliedto said lash.

1. A device for connecting a ski to a skier comprising: a body portionconnectable to a ski during use of the device and having means thereindefining a bore having a stepped configuration with a smallercross-sectional portion and a larger cross-sectional portion, and a slotwhich opens at one end into said bore and at the other end at thesurface of said body portion; a lashing connectable to a skier duringuse of the device and having a folded portion defining a loop receivedwithin said bore and extending outwardly therefrom through said slot;and an elongated locking member inserted into the interior of said loopcontinuously wedging said loop against the bore surface to effectlocking of said lashing to said body portion irrespective of whethersaid lashing is in a tensioned or slackened condition, said lockingmember comprising a pin having a shank portion extending through theinterior of said loop and into said smaller cross-sectional portion, anda head portion force fitted into said larger cross-sectional portion tothereby maintain said lashing locked to said body portion.
 1. A devicefor connecting a ski to a skier comprising: a body portion connectableto a ski during use of the device and having means therein defining abore having a stepped configuration with a smaller cross-sectionalportion and a larger cross-sectional portion, and a slot which opens atone end into said bore and at the other end at the surface of said bodyportion; a lashing connectable to a skier during use of the device andhaving a folded portion defining a loop received within said bore andextending outwardly therefrom through said slot; and an elongatedlocking member inserted into the interior of said loop continuouslywedging said loop against the bore surface to effect locking of saidlashing to said body portion irrespective of whether said lashing is ina tensioned or slackened condition, said locking member comprising a pinhaving a shank portion extending through the interior of said loop andinto said smaller cross-sectional portion, and a head portion forcefitted into said larger cross-sectional portion to thereby maintain saidlashing locked to said body portion.